Kaio-ken
}} Kaio-ken (界王拳, "Fist of the Worlds") is a fighting technique invented by King Kai, however, Goku is the only person ever able to successfully use it. It is a technique that multiplies the user's ki for a "heart beat", enabling them to inflict serious damage to opponents who are considerably stronger than them. After the introduction of the Kaio-ken, it became one of Goku's signature attacks, however, it became greatly overshadowed by his ability to become a Super Saiyan later on in the animated series and manga. While in the state, the ki aura's color becomes crimson. Description As a result of the Kaio-ken, the user's base ki level doubles for an instant, however, Goku later learns to increase the effect of the Kaio-ken to higher multiplications. When Goku first mastered the Kaio-ken, the furthest he could handle was the Kaio-ken x4, but through training at 100x gravity and then later with his dramatic strength increase after his fight with Captain Ginyu, he was able to withstand astounding multiplications of the Kaio-ken attack, such as Kaio-ken x10. The highest multiplication for the Kaio-ken ever seen was the Kaio-ken x20, which Goku used against Frieza. The Super Kaio-ken is a Kaio-ken used while in the Super Saiyan transformation, and greatly exceeds the properties of the regular Kaio-Ken. The technique however has its substantial flaws, such as if the user multiplies their base ki too much, the uprise of ki could easily obliterate them, or severely damage their body, as it did Goku's; after taking the Kaioken to the 4th level to overpower Vegeta's Galick Gun, Goku's entire body was thrashed, and he could barely move without hurting himself. Even one friendly slap on the back from a gracious Yajirobe caused Goku severe pain. Uses of the Kaio-ken The first time Goku used the Kaio-ken was when he used it in the Saiyan Saga to catch up with Nappa before Gohan and Krillin are taken out by his mouth blast. He uses Kaioken Finish, multipling his power and speed and breaking Nappa's back, disabling him. Later, after Goku realized he couldn't defeat Vegeta even with the Kaio-ken x2, he powered up to Kaio-ken x3, raising his battle strength to near 24,000. He uses Kaio-ken Attack, overpowering the Saiyan prince. To prevent Vegeta from destroying the Earth with his Galick Gun, he used a Kaio-ken x3 Kamehameha, a combination of the Kaio-ken X3 and the Kamehameha, in an attempt to save himself and the Earth, initiating a ki beam struggle. When both their attacks proved unable to overtake the other, Goku used the Kaio-ken x4, surging through Vegeta's Galick Gun and blasting him into the sky. Goku also used this form briefly when he fought Vegeta's Great Ape form, but was whipped aside by Vegeta's tail, surprised at Vegeta for remaining as agile as ever even in the huge size of the Great Ape transformation. " combination Goku used against Pikkon.]] Later, in the Frieza Saga, when Goku fought Captain Ginyu, he demonstrated his Kaio-ken in a prolonged way, doubling his battle strength to around 180,000 - shocking Ginyu. After being healed in the rejuvenation chamber following his attack from Vegeta when Goku himself had switched bodies with Ginyu, Goku battled with Frieza using a Kaio-ken once again. After realizing Goku was stronger than the others he had battled from Ginyu to Piccolo and the rest and even Vegeta, Frieza used 50% of his maximum power, which gave him an enormous power boost. Goku then had to resort to the Kaio-ken x10, to even have a chance at battling Frieza, but even this wasn't nearly enough. Goku then attempted to use the Kaio-ken x20, which gave him near equal power to the tyrant. Goku eventually used a Kaio-ken x20 and a Kamehameha wave combination, which amazingly, Frieza held off with one hand before stopping it with his own blast, barely hurt. A short time later, Goku eventually transformed into a Super Saiyan, which greatly outclassed the Kaio-ken. However, since--according to battle powers given in the Daizenshuu companion released in Japan--becoming a Super Saiyan increases one's strength fifty times, it is unknown if a Kaio-ken x50 would have equaled the power of a Super Saiyan (if such a Kaio-ken level is even possible). Movies Goku uses the Kaio-Ken technique to battle the villains in DBZ movies 2-6. *In The World's Strongest, he first uses it to deflate the bio-warrior Misokatsun. He uses it again soon after to free himself after being frozen solid by Ebifurya, and then easily takes out both Ebifurya and Kishime with it. He later uses the Kaio-ken x3 to attack Dr. Wheelo's giant robotic body and succeeds in breaking off Wheelo's right arm. The two then engage in a beam struggle similar to the one Goku and Vegeta have in the Saiyan Saga, and, just like in that beam struggle, Goku overcomes Wheelo's blast by using the Kaio-ken x4. *In The Tree of Might, Goku first uses the Kaio-ken to avoid getting hit by the Great Ape-transformed-Gohan, but is eventually knocked down by him. He later uses it to take out Turles' henchmen. After Turles becomes more powerful with the fruit from the Tree of Might, Goku uses the Kaio-ken x10 (Kaio-ken x20 in the FUNimation dub) to attack him, but is still unable to keep up. *In Lord Slug, Goku uses the Kaio-ken to rip a hole through the giant Slug, after he gains some of Piccolo's power. *In Cooler's Revenge, after Cooler transforms and becomes far more powerful, Goku uses the Kaio-ken to attack him, but has no success. Cooler even flies through Goku's Kaio-ken x20-Kamehameha combo, the one that caused his brother quite some pain. *In The Return of Cooler, Goku again uses the Kaio-ken on Meta Cooler, but it also proves far too feeble. Trivia produces a Kaio-ken-like aura, after being insulted by Maron during the Garlic Jr. Saga.]] *Goku's battle against Frieza is the last time the Kaio-ken is used in the series, as the introduction of Super Saiyan outclassed it. However, in the filler fight against Pikkon, Goku uses the Kaio-ken and Full-Power Super Saiyan combination (something he calls a Super Kaio-ken), which gave him an incredible power increase. Goku also demonstrated the Kaio-ken's usability in transformed states, which potentially means he can make his transformed forms (including Super Saiyan 4) many times stronger. However, it can be argued that using Kaio-Ken in transformed states could seriously injure or even kill him. This is evident in that the already-dead Goku was exhausted after performing the technique. This "Super Kaio-ken" was only used once and it punched Pikkon straight through the moon orbiting the tournament stage. * In the Garlic Jr. Saga, Goku's wife Chi-Chi, imitates the techniques signature red-colored aura after being angered by Krillin's girlfriend, Maron. Despite the aura's appearence, it is not the Kaio-Ken, but mimics it to represent Chi-Chi's immense rage. *The name of the attack is usually pronounced incorrectly in the English version. In the Japanese version, the attack is pronounced "KAI-o-ken", while the English dub it is pronounced "KAY-o-ken," although Goku's second Ocean voice actor Peter Kelamis pronounces it properly in the Ocean dub of The World's Strongest and The Tree of Might, and his FUNimation voice actor Sean Schemmel pronounces it correctly in Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit as well as for the Kaio-ken multipliers in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast. The technique is also pronounced correctly in the English dub of Dragon Ball Z Kai. *In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, this attack was dubbed as "King Kai Fist", which is more-or-less an accurate translation. Category:Techniques Category:Supportive Techniques